User blog:Styracosaurus Rider/Spoofing JP
I'm pretty sure a lot of you have heard that I plan to video a spoof version of Jurassic Park. That's cool. And I've decided to post a blog series about progress. Because I can. The point is there are a lot of these types of vids out there, and lots of people want to make them. So I'll have this post explain some guidelines I've whittled up and some others of the kind for you to look at as examples. This applies to EVERYBODY btw and not just Wikia users. And this is a JP wiki, so I'm using JP as the example. This will work for all types of swede. If you're looking to make a swede and find this page, follow the advice. It's a healthy dose and it's good for you. Comment if you wish. Add suggestions. It's just a blog post after all. And if you're just looking for funny videos to watch because you have no life, yeah, this is the page for you too. Technical advice bits The actual term for these videos are "swedes." Apparently it has something to do with some movie that attempted this sort of thing, and some claim about Sweden involved. I'm not quite sure. (The movie was set in New Jersey though so I'm OK with that.) Generally, swedes are filmed with low to no budget, and most of them are designed to make you laugh. Sometimes competitions are held to make the best swede of a specific movie, and one of the movies was JP. So a lot of JP swedes exist out there. They vary widely, and you have many options when thinking about most swede elements. But this is what I've learned: *'Determine your purpose.' Do you want a lot of people to watch your video, or are you just making it because you like doing it? Are you making fun of a specific scene, or recreating the whole movie? Take all this into consideration. If your sole purpose is to get views, for example, you may want to cut back on the effort you put into. Do one or two scenes that you make super funny and leave it at that. If you do it because you love it, you'll be able to do anything you wish with it. YOUR opinion is prime. *'Be quick.' The attention spans of most human beings has been shown and proven to be about absolutely nil.Not scientifically proven IN ANY WAY :P So unless your scenes and acting are mind-bogglingly hilarious, people probably won't watch it. Anything shorter than 5 minutes is pretty good. Do your favorite scenes instead of the whole thing. Of course, some people go way beyond this (there are some 20-minutes JP swedes out there...some split into parts and some not), so it's up to you whether to follow this or not. *'To plot or not to plot...'now that's the question. If your video is a bit long or you like having things on paper, you might consider making a script for it. If you do things on a whim and improv, you might just film everything right there in your basement on a Thursday night. Or, you could do a mix of both; having a script at hand but with the option to fill in with witty lines or improvisations. *'Be creative.' The vast majority of swedes are filmed low to no-budget, and with good reason. People don't have money to replace expensive china that you use to make the fences of the brachiosaur paddock. Things get smashed, dirty, wet, etc. Use what you've got to make effects. And dig around. You'll be amazed to find what sits around the house doing nothing when it can be used to make raptor feet and/or Arnold's cigarette. If you need something like Grant's hat, don't bother going to the mall, just pick a cheap plastic one up at a dollar store. *'Actors.' You can be a one-man band, or have a starring lineup. Just remember that your actors have lives too. I'm not encouraging or discouraging anything, and I do not support claims or yadayada. You decide your ethics. Seek assistance of a lawyer if necessary (I wouldn't do it though. It's likely you'll force him to join your cast and sit on a toilet seat waiting for the toy dinosaur to nibble at him. *'Dinosaurs.' They're tricky subjects in the world of the JP swede. Most use toy dinosaurs, and little toy cars or RC helicopters to provide scale during interactions. Or they hold toy dinos up to the camera. Others use toy dinosaurs applied in post-production through green screen. A few use actors as the dinosaurs (much hilarity involved). I've even seen one or two use CG dinosaurs created through a low-budget computer program. How you portray your tourist attractions is completely up to you. Most can be used to good effect in amusing people. *'Subtle things.' Pick up on them. The least obvious, laid-back thing in the novels or movies can be highlighted and exaggerated to great effect. I've seen this done in several swedes, and it's a funny thing. *'Titles and credits.' They aren't necessary, but are prime targets for "editing". Some are done seriously, but a lot are done low budget with paper and markers. A few are done with computer programs, which allows them to use the actual JP font. And you know those movies that have hidden footage in the credits? You can do that too. *'The trailer.' For particularly epic swedes, you may wish to design a trailer. It will generally contain the most action-y scenes from the swede, and introduce the swede itself with a witty tagline or two. Often they'll use the actual music from the JP trailer, which makes a weird pseudo-humor kind of thing combining the familiar and...not familiar. As always, it's your opinion, and you mileage may vary. Example Videos To cap off I'll give you a bunch of videos to use as examples. Watch these when you're bored! Category:Blog posts Category:Jurassic Park: The Spoof Category:Blog posts Category:Jurassic Park: The Spoof